Bike Shop

Twenty20 Cycling

Amid the boutiques, bars, and boîtes of northwest Baltimore's artsy, gentrified Hampden neighborhood, Twenty20 fits right in. Housed in a converted garage with soaring ceilings, the 3,000-square-foot shop is filled with warm colors and exposed brick walls and boasts a custom-built pressure-washing station.

But there's more to the place than its aesthetics. At the heart of the shop is a Specialized BG FIT center, where a technician uses a trainer and video monitor, among other tools, to help match each customer's body to his bike. "Bike fit is for everyone," says co-owner Kristopher Auer. "More comfortable rides are faster and better, whether you're doing a century or spinning around the park."

Auer knows what he's talking about—he's a former pro racer, both road and mountain. He and the other owners, Johnny May and Norman Brach, are longtime fixtures in the diverse and growing Baltimore cycling community. The shop also holds weekly rides and repair clinics, specializing in introducing riders to cyclocross (and featuring a friendly party atmosphere "in a non-binge-drinking sort of way," says Auer). Twenty20 sponsors the local team, C3 (Charm City Cycling), which counts national champion Laura van Gilder among its ranks.

But despite its focus on developing racers, Auer says Twenty20's mission is universal: "We want to turn people on to bikes."